Lawmaker proposes public safety agency

A bill by a local assemblyman could prompt a broad
reorganization of California's government, creating a new
cabinet-level public safety agency to oversee several existing
departments.

The author of Assembly Bill 791, Kevin Jeffries, R-Murrieta,
said it would allow various arms of the state's public safety
apparatus to better coordinate training practices and communicate,
including allowing them to access the same databases.

That's particularly important in large-scale disasters, such as
the Esperanza fire that scorched 63 square miles in northern
Riverside County in October, Jeffries said. As it now stands,
firefighters miles away from a large blaze may actually see smoke
clouds before they receive the necessary orders from the
state-level employees who coordinate responses, he said.

The bill, introduced Wednesday, included few details other than
a tentative list of the departments to be folded into the new
agency, including the California Highway Patrol, the Department of
Forestry and Fire Protection and the Office of Emergency Services.
They currently are supervised by offices as diverse as the
Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, in the case of CHP,
and the Resources Agency, in the case of the Department of Forestry
and Fire Protection.

A cabinet-level public safety agency could also oversee officers
who work for the 23 campuses in the California State University
system and other arms of the state government. The bill isn't
expected to reorganize sheriff's departments or other local
government agencies.

The new agency would be formally created in January 2009, with
the various departments coming under its control in January 2011,
according to the bill's current language. In an interview Monday,
Jeffries said he foresees the bill taking shape over the two-year
legislative session that ends in December 2008.

Jeffries said it isn't yet clear whether the bill would expand
or trim the size of the state's government.

"We're hoping eventually for cost savings" from more efficient
operations, he added.

The bill is among the first to address a large-scale overhaul
recommended by the California Performance Review following its
commission by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger soon after he was voted
into office. A report it published in January 2005 estimated that a
comprehensive reorganization of the state's government could save
$32 billion a year.

Jeffries' bill addresses a segment of the broader
reorganization. The governor's current budget proposes a combined
$4.4 billion for CHP, the state fire department and the Office of
Emergency Services, according to the Legislative Analyst's
Office.

No other legislators have signed on as cosponsors to the bill,
which was introduced Wednesday. Jeffries said initial conversations
with leaders of labor unions and other constituencies have made him
confident that he'll be able to draw support from other lawmakers,
including majority Democrats.

Jeffries is a former chairman of the Riverside County Republican
Party and a volunteer firefighter. He won election to the 66th
Assembly District in November, replacing 14-year legislator Ray
Haynes. The district stretches from southern Riverside, through
Murrieta and Temecula and takes in rural portions of northern San
Diego County.